Not enough evidence to charge sheet him as though the bar owners had gone to Mani’s residence with the money, there is no evidence to prove that he had taken the bribe.
The Kerala vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) has given a clean chit to Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani in its report to a special court on the bar bribery scandal.
The VACB had registered a case against Mani after a quick verification report on the allegation that Mani had taken a bribe of INR one crore to renew a bar licence. On Tuesday, the investigating officer had submitted the report seeking the court’s permission to close the case.
The vigilance said there was not enough evidence to chargesheet Mani. The bar owners had gone to Mani’s residence with the money but there is no evidence to prove that he had taken the bribe. The bar hotel owners had mobilized funds, but some of the owners had given statements that the money was collected for fighting the ban in court.
The vigilance department said the documents pertaining to the issue were examined, but there is little to prove that Mani had tried to protect the interest of bar owners.